letter from christie johnston: normalize the fear of parenting
As a Social Worker for Napa Valley Unified School District, I get an intimate look at the role parents and caregivers play in preparing their children for the classroom. In supporting students through various challenges that prevent them from learning, I have seen firsthand how struggles in the home affect a child’s success in school. Parents play a vital role in their child’s academic success, and stressors in the home, such as divorce, mental health problems, insecure housing, and other economic instability can take a toll on students.
Thanks to comprehensive research on the subject, we know that traumatic and stressful experiences in childhood can have lasting physical and mental consequences, and this can prevent a child from reaching their academic potential. Problems at home tend to manifest in behavioral problems or changes, like loss of focus or acting out, which is why my philosophy as a school social worker is to support a child by also supporting the family. In addition to working with students one-on-one, school social workers identify other support that the family needs and work to connect them with available services.
Among these services, I have found the Triple P – Positive Parenting Program to be an invaluable resource for families. This research-backed program, which is offered at no cost by community agencies like Cope Family Center, follows a curriculum that is centered around positive parenting tools that help parents build strong, nurturing relationships with their children. I have found many parents are worried they aren’t “doing it right”. Talking to parents about Cope’s positive parenting classes has been a way to let them know that there’s help available, and that they don’t have to do this on their own.
I have seen how Triple P classes help parents strengthen family relationships, encourage their children’s positive behaviors, gain confidence in their parenting abilities, and teach their children new skills. I have witnessed dramatic changes in my students, including increased focus, less acting out, and improved grades. The stress management, communication skills, and positive habits that Triple P teaches families decreases stress in both parents and their children, and this is reflected in the classroom.
This program also contributes something just as vital: by bringing together parents experiencing similar struggles in raising their children, the classes help normalize the fear of parenting. Hearing from other parents going through similar challenges helps parents feel less isolated and more empowered to communicate in a positive way with their children and manage the everyday stressors of parenting.
Seeing firsthand the impact that these courses have had on my students and their families is why I believe that ease of access to this care is vital in supporting the families in our community. The Triple P program’s focus on compassionate care, the curriculum’s positive and realistic parenting strategies, and its adaptability to the unique and diverse families in Napa Valley make positive parenting programs invaluable to the health and wellbeing of our families and our community.
I encourage struggling parents to reach out to Cope for help, and I urge the community to bring awareness to common parenting struggles and positive parenting programs like Triple P so that all families can access the support they need to raise thriving children, both inside and outside the classroom.